Army Boots and Band Music
by AutumnInnocent
Summary: Cartmen is coming back from his first year in the Army, Kyle fronts a Screamo band and Ike is hanging with the Vampire kids. Cartmen is being welcomed back tonight but can Kyle take it? *For updated story check it out on Wattpad*


The whole crew is adults now, and everyone is changing. Cartmen enrolled in the military, Kyle fronts a Screamo band and Ike is hanging out with the Vampire kids. Keep up with the journey as Cartmen comes home for his first visit back home in a year. The Army has changed him for the better and he's on the road to redemption.

Kyle has completely changed himself, falling between the cracks of Emo and Goth and expressing his childhood pains through song.

Ike has followed suit but gets too cozy with the new gang of middle school kids playing more than pretend.

It's a lot of feels, drama, and gay. You ready?

*May contain mature or triggering subjects like sex, self-mutilation, alcohol, drugs, and underage characters engaging in said content.

(All characters are property of Matt Stone and Trey Parker from their hit show South Park)

 _I'm a bit rusty at writing still, plenty of time between each project._ Also _, haven't watched South Park in quite a while. More than likely the chapters up are rough drafts so I apologize, I will try to update on some form of a schedule. This has been a fanfic idea for years so I hope it transfers well to paper. If you notice any problems or inconsistencies let me know. If you like what I'm doing with this let me know what other ships you like. If you're not into South Park ships/erotica leave while you can. The gay is here._

Returning Home

 _It's been a whole year, and maybe some change since Eric Cartmen has been to South Park. He signed up right after his 18th birthday and began his 4-year enlistment shortly after his graduation. At first, he just wanted to shoot people and feel like a bad-ass. But the rigorous training wore him down and he heard a lot of stories in camp. Over that span of a year he learned a lot, he went from a chubby, racist, brat to a muscled, respectful soldier. Plenty of his roommates harped on him and even singled him out when the opportunity presented itself. He didn't blame them, he was a downright douchebag. A racist, fascist little pig that needed to grow up. Eric suffered his fair share of blanket parties and field sabotage. He got into so much trouble with his superiors he endured even more punishments from them, it was a nonstop cycle of bullying. Breaking him down and tearing him apart until he broke 4 months in._

 _He slowly understood how terrible a person he was. He did his best to turn around in the next 8 months, listening to his team and following orders. He was still berated and the butt of the joke but the guys slowly warmed up. By the 6 month mark, he was set in a new way of life, with a new outlook on being a soldier. Brothers shared stories about their enlisted family, fathers and grandfathers, even mothers who served in wars. How Time and Death ripped apart their lives, the loyalty and strength it takes to be military. Eric never shed so many tears in one night, here, he was training to be some mindless hate machine while his friends were here to protect and honor their families. Eric never knew a Father and he couldn't imagine now, the pain of losing one in a line of fire._

 _Hundreds and Thousands of people enlisting to protect and serve their people and country. Sacrifice. He just signed a paper to shoot people he thought were beneath him. In all honesty, the Military would be the best thing to have ever happened to him. It completely and irrevocably changed him. However, he still had a long way to go. There is a lot he has yet to apologize for, every sorry he would fight for, he swore it._

Cartmen stared out the train window, he opted for a train ticket home from his Aunt and Uncle's house where he had been staying. They were exceptionally close to the base, but Cartmen decided against taking the car home for his visit. He needed time to think unburdened on the way back to South Park. Not to mention he could easily walk anywhere in town, the vehicle wasn't necessary. His new found stamina and endurance bestowed upon him by Army training was exhilarating. Yes, he already had a better endurance when compared to childhood when he started focusing on losing weight in high school. Nothing compared to now though, especially since his inspiration was more than just trying to get laid.

It did help that he was one of the tallest out of all the boys, an even 6'2", which isn't incredibly impressive but better than most. After losing all of the baby, grade school, and middle school weight, Cartmen became a nice 170 pounds of lean fat and muscle. Built like an exceptional fullback Eric wore his uniform well, from the specific high and tight down to the issued boots. His usual snarky demeanor was now a distant one, brown eyes filled with sympathy as his stature remained true to his training.

Eric remained looking out the window, Army pack by his side as he sighed and watched the sun slowly set. The one thing he looked forward to the most was the one he quite dreaded. He owed him his life, years of torment couldn't possibly be reversed and he didn't expect to be forgiven. But Eric could repent, confess... he could try. Apologies wouldn't be enough, he would be indebted just by the simple fact that he didn't destroy him every chance he had.

Kyle deserved so much better than the hell he put him through. How could Cartmen even remotely set this right?

Edgy Routine

 _Kyle went down a similar path that Stan did when he couldn't get over Wendy. Except Kyle shut himself away from most people and popped blades out of razors when his mom wouldn't notice. It started on the verge of High School when the bullying was at its worse. Kyle didn't seem to fit in anywhere, he still had Stan obviously and Kenny was around when he wasn't chasing tail. It didn't help much, as kids got older they got crueler, he was the only Jewish kid in school and his red curly hair and freckles were more than the subject of harmless teasing. Stan did his best to protect him but they still hung out with Cartmen, none of them understood why but its how things would go._

 _Kyle withdrew from his group of friends each year, picking up a new one as he went. Kids generally new to the town, it was easy to be friends with the new kid since it gave him a break from the constant ridicule. His new friends and he started a band late in High School naming themselves Survive Slaughter among many other things. Kyle was the frontman with a surprisingly powerful voice, the two guys on Guitar and Bass with the Girl on drums. That band became Kyle's life, even surpassing the part-time job he would take up. He wrote more and cut less but the pain never lessened inside. The new creative outlet wasn't enough, but it helped take out his aggression when they would practice. They played at a couple competitions and fairs but nothing big, nothing paid. Once they all got out of High School practice time tripled, Kyle didn't even work a normal job, he threw himself into music to escape._

 _His mother harped, she couldn't properly handle the drastic changes Kyle was making to himself but she couldn't herself to throw him out. Even as Ike followed in his brother's footsteps, she just let go of the reigns and tried drowning her shame in alcohol and taking on a real estate job. Kyle's Dad was still as busy as ever so the house was practically Kyle's until 6 p.m. He took care of Ike when he came home from school then would head out to practice every chance he had, not like his mother or father would stop him. Their perfect babushka was black-clad, pierced masterpiece of emo fringe._

Kyle was in a rush this particular morning. Last night he wrote a song fueled by Redbull, vodka, and some pills a friend of Kenny's handed off to him. Sober Kyle couldn't tell if it was art or trash and he needed to get it into the works before the notes left his mind. Annie, Michael, and Vlad were still passed out since it was a Saturday but Kyle couldn't give two fucks. It wouldn't be the first time he banged on their apartment door.

He searched the floor for his ripped skinny jeans, pulling them out from under the bed and immediately slipping them on and over his boxers. Next was his belt which had disappeared under his dresser, he slid it through each belt loop tightening it around his thin waist. Kyle was only 5'9" and 140 pounds. There wasn't much fat or muscle to him, notably at least, not like he actually cared about his health. He lived off of drugs, caffeine, and shit food; nothing mattered but his pain and music.

Kyle pulled an old MCR shirt out from his dresser along with a black long-sleeve shirt out of his closet. He threw on the long-sleeve shirt, pulling it taut over his pale skin, slipping the t-shirt on next. He only layered his clothes to shield Ike from his scars, and if he didn't remember in the morning he sure as hell would forget when he came home intoxicated to a sleep-deprived little brother.

He ran a flat iron over his limp curls, hair damaged from dyes and products and excessive heat. This process began in middle school to lessen the taunts but anytime he changed they just put forth the effort to make his life worse. This time his hair was close to its fiery, natural red color. He tossed the flat iron back onto the dresser and yanked out the plug, immediately heading to the bathroom to run the product through his hair.

Kyle looked in the mirror every so often, making sure his hair was as flat and straight as he wasn't. Smearing on some thick black liner when he was done, running a smoky close over pursed lips and tossing the makeup back into a drawer before heading back to his room a final time. He threw his notebooks into a backpack along with his bottle of whiskey and headphones. He didn't even really bother to zip it up and shrugged on the pack, slamming shut his bedroom door as he ran down the steps. Mom was already gone and Dad was probably passed out in his study with Bourbon in hand. Ike would still be asleep and that was the only reason Kyle would be quiet on his departure.

Kyle sat his backpack in the passenger seat of his Mustang, wishing he grabbed the rest of those pills. Mind swimming he fired up his car and slammed shut his door. He had no idea how this evening was going to go, the news was just too much to take. He barely made it past last night, he already felt his heart trying to leave his chest. The scourge of his existence was coming back to South Park.

"Why did Cartmen have to show his fat fucking face again?"


End file.
